José María Busto

Early career

Born on 12 November 1923 in Portugalete, Biscay, Busto began playing football in school with his friends, and thanks to his good manners, he was soon recruited into the youth ranks of Athletic Bilbao. On 15 September 1940, just two months shy of his 17th birthday, Busto earned his first (and only) appearance for the first team in a pre-season friendly match against Bilbao AC, in which he became off the bench for the second half in an eventual 4–0 win. He spent nearly the entire season with the club's amateur team, so he decided to leave Athletic at the end of season to join another Biscay-based team, Barakaldo, where he quickly stood out from the rest and was signed by Sevilla at the end of the season.

Sevilla FC

In his first season at the club in 1942–43, Busto helped his side finish as La Liga runners-up, only three points behind his former club Athletic Bilbao. With Sevilla, he formed a great back line with defenders Diego Villalonga and Joaquín Jiménez, one of the best in the club's history, which played a crucial role in the team's success in the late 1940s, winning the Copa del Rey title in 1948, starting in the final against Celta de Vigo at Chamartín (4–1), and winning the league in 1945–46, the only such title in the club's history, where he was once again fundamental as he played every minute of the competition, including the decisive last matchday against FC Barcelona at Les Corts, in which he helped his team hold Barça to a 1–1…

Busto was called up to the Spain national team on several occasions, but he was never able to make his international debut because of the presence of Ignacio Eizaguirre, Antonio Ramallets, and Carmelo Cedrún. However, he earned one cap for the Spanish B team in March 1954, in which he helped his side to keep a clean-sheet in a 2–0 win over France B in the opening match of the 1953–58 Mediterranean Cup. Spain eventually won the tournament.

After his career as a player ended, Busto remained closely linked to Sevilla, now as a director, and he even briefly served as the team's coach in 1963, overseeing only three La Liga matches during the transition between Antonio Barrios and Otto Bumbel.

Club

Sevilla FC La Liga Champion: 1945–46 Copa del Rey: Winner: 1948 Runner-up: 1955

International

Spain B Mediterranean Cup: Champions: 1953–58